As the winter chill tightens its grip, a significant number of people across the UK are finding a good night's sleep frustratingly elusive. However, a medical expert has pinpointed a widespread error that could be the very thing preventing restful slumber during the colder months.
The Overlooked Sleep Saboteur: An Overheated Bedroom
Dr Gareth Nye, a GP and lecturer in Biomedical Science at the University of Salford, has highlighted a critical blunder. In collaboration with nightwear brand Pretty You London, Dr Nye identified that making the bedroom too warm is a frequent mistake undermining sleep quality.
While instinctively cranking up the radiator seems a logical response to freezing temperatures, it actively works against the body's natural sleep processes. "Part of the sleep process is a drop in the core body temperature," Dr Nye explained. "Colder room temperatures tend to favour better sleep, but sudden drops in temperature can disrupt sleep through shivering and discomfort."
Many households leave heating on overnight to combat the cold, but this often backfires. An overheated environment hinders the body's ability to cool down efficiently, interfering with the vital temperature drop that signals the brain it's time to sleep.
Finding the Perfect Balance for Winter Rest
This does not mean you should go to bed feeling cold. The key is to create a cooler ambient room temperature while focusing warmth on the bed itself. Phoebe Street, a sleep expert at Pretty You London, emphasised this strategy.
"Bedrooms feel most comfortable for sleep when they're on the cooler side, usually around 16 to 18 degrees," Phoebe advised. "Warming the bed itself works better than heating the whole room all night."
She recommends practical steps to achieve this balance:
- Using a hot water bottle under the duvet for a short period to take the chill off.
- Wearing long, breathable pyjamas for comfort without overheating.
- Opting for lighter layers of bedding that allow for easier temperature control throughout the night.
The Surprising Role of Your Feet
Dr Nye also shed light on a lesser-known factor in sleep onset: warming your feet. "When your feet warm up, the blood vessels widen. This helps your body release heat and allows your core temperature to drop, which is the signal it uses to begin sleep," he said.
He referenced a 2018 study which found that participants who wore socks to bed fell asleep around seven minutes faster, enjoyed longer sleep duration, and experienced fewer nighttime awakenings compared to those who did not.
"The mechanism is simple; warm feet support vasodilation and help the body settle," Dr Nye clarified. He recommends loose socks made from natural fibres, warning that anything tight can restrict circulation and have the opposite, detrimental effect.
With the NHS underscoring that good sleep boosts mood, reduces stress, and helps manage anxiety, addressing this common environmental mistake could be a simple yet effective step towards better health and wellbeing this winter.
